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PSA for PC Game Pass Users: How to buy up future months right now for $5 each before the price rises

Portmanteau

Portmanteau

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,499
I saw that Steve Kim mentioned this on Twitter, so I made a quick write up on how to do this. I got two years of PC Game Pass doing this for the effort of ten minutes.
  1. Open the Game Pass app on Desktop. Go to Settings, and under Manage, click "Xbox Game Pass PC Subscription."
  2. Click "Extend" and "Manage" - optional: put them in separate windows side by side instead of the two tabs that they open in to do this faster
  3. Click "Extend" on the extend tab/window you opened and accept the checkout with whatever payment you have. Takes a few seconds.
    1. If you do not have the Extend button, skip to the next step and you'll get it to appear once you go through the process.
  4. Refresh the Manage tab/window that you opened while the payment is going and you'll see "Cancel Subscription," possibly before the checkout finishes. Click this.
  5. It'll ask if you want to turn off reoccurring billing. Click yes.
  6. Refresh the left side and, like before, it might show up before the reoccurring billing process is over.
  7. Repeat 3-6.
 
Crono

Crono

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,481
Did this last night for 2 years. Debating on 3, but I think 2 is plenty.
 
Marven

Marven

Member
Oct 25, 2017
578
Northeast Illinois
I just finished buying up 2 years a little bit ago. Also you can convert it to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1, so $122 for 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate is a pretty damn good deal.
 
Kamisori

Kamisori

Member
Oct 26, 2017
157
France
Even better if you haven't subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate before:
  • Buy as many Xbox Live Gold months as you want (maximum 36, even if you don't have a Xbox, you just need a Microsoft account)
  • Put them on your account
  • Get the $1 for 1 month Game Pass Ultimate
  • You now have as many Game Pass Ultimate months as Xbox Live Gold months you had, since the ratio is 1:1 when they convert the subscription into Game Pass Ultimate
At the end it's even cheaper than buying Game Pass PC months through the method given by the OP.
 

Deleted member 4353

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,559
im confused. I have gamepass ultimate that is expiring in like 2 weeks. when i go to extend from the app, it charges me 15 to extend.
 
canderous

canderous

Prophet of Truth
Member
Jun 12, 2020
8,719
You can get Ultimate for the same price, no?

Buy however many years of gold you want at $60/year, then convert all of that gold time to Ultimate for $1.

Max 3 years on account, so $180 for 3 years of console game pass, PC game pass, Xcloud, and EA play
 
Magneto

Magneto

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,449
Since i used Xbox Gold for the Game Pass Ultimate, i still have the first month for 1€... is this possible to stack, even at the 5 dollars price with that ? Thanks
 
Kattlauv

Kattlauv

Member
Oct 28, 2017
747
Manila
Kamisori said:
Even better if you haven't subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate before:
  • Buy as many Xbox Live Gold months as you want (maximum 36, even if you don't have a Xbox, you just need a Microsoft account)
  • Put them on your account
  • Get the $1 for 1 month Game Pass Ultimate
  • You now have as many Game Pass Ultimate months as Xbox Live Gold months you had, since the ratio is 1:1 when they convert the subscription into Game Pass Ultimate
At the end it's even cheaper than buying Game Pass PC months through the method given by the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Does this work if Game Pass is not available in my area?
 
Lion

Lion

Banned
Jul 7, 2020
593
Kamisori said:
Even better if you haven't subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate before:
  • Buy as many Xbox Live Gold months as you want (maximum 36, even if you don't have a Xbox, you just need a Microsoft account)
  • Put them on your account
  • Get the $1 for 1 month Game Pass Ultimate
  • You now have as many Game Pass Ultimate months as Xbox Live Gold months you had, since the ratio is 1:1 when they convert the subscription into Game Pass Ultimate
At the end it's even cheaper than buying Game Pass PC months through the method given by the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Why is it necessary not to have subscribed to Gamepass before?
 
luminosity

luminosity

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 30, 2017
957
Yeah, no extend option, just manage. And when I start to cancel it doesn't ask to turn off recurring billing. Then I turn off recurring billing from another menu but Extend still isn't there.
 
jfkgoblue

jfkgoblue

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,650
What you can also do is buy 2 years of XBL gold and upgrade that to GPU for $1(12 month cards are $60 so it's $5/month)
 
Kamisori

Kamisori

Member
Oct 26, 2017
157
France
Lion said:
Why is it necessary not to have subscribed to Gamepass before?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You can be (or have been) a member of Game Pass PC but not Ultimate, because if you're already an Ultimate member, there is a ratio when you register/buy anything other than a Game Pass Ultimate month (for example 12 months of Xbox Live Gold gives 4 months of Ultimate if you have been an Ultimate member before).
 
thenexus6

thenexus6

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,350
UK
Mine runs out in like a week, if I do this will I be charged £4 now or after my current plan ends?

Kamisori said:
Even better if you haven't subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate before:
  • Buy as many Xbox Live Gold months as you want (maximum 36, even if you don't have a Xbox, you just need a Microsoft account)
  • Put them on your account
  • Get the $1 for 1 month Game Pass Ultimate
  • You now have as many Game Pass Ultimate months as Xbox Live Gold months you had, since the ratio is 1:1 when they convert the subscription into Game Pass Ultimate
At the end it's even cheaper than buying Game Pass PC months through the method given by the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I've had GPU a few times in the past, and I still get the upgrade for £1 offer to ultimate (currently just a standard gp membership)
 
Last edited:
Gentlemen

Gentlemen

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,563
I'm not allowed to cancel my subscription.

The instructions for when you don't see an 'extend' button make no sense.
 
rsfour

rsfour

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,844
I actually bought two years worth of game pass from someone for 4CAD/m nearly two weeks ago. I should've just bought the whole three years lol.

I just extended one month and shit was 5.99+tax. Brutal.
 
Siresly

Siresly

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,588
The GPU I stacked like two years ago is expiring in a month. Haven't actually used it super much.
Reckon I'm better off paying for a month whenever I feel it makes sense.

But through this I noticed that GPU is 10kr for a month. So I'll be getting that.
Never mind, wasn't logged in. Offer not actually available to me.
 
Last edited:
No Depth

No Depth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
18,342
I followed the instructions and never saw Extend anywhere. So after turning off Recurring payments(which end this month anyway for me), I think I'm done until a better bargain comes along.

Not willing to toss away $15 in hopes whatever is meant to happen actually works because I only have the option of turning on Recurring billing again and choosing a pay plan. Nothing else.
 
Qudi

Qudi

Member
Jul 26, 2018
5,330
Isn't it easier just to buy Xbox live gold and turning it into gamepass ultimate? Im not a subscriber yet, but im tempted to do it.
 
OP
OP
Portmanteau

Portmanteau

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,499
I'm not going to quote tweet all the people who mentioned buying XBL gold and then turning it into Ultimate, but that method rules and is arguably better than mine in the OP.
 
Green

Green

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,415
Siresly said:
The GPU I stacked like two years ago is expiring in a month. Haven't actually used it super much.
Reckon I'm better off paying for a month whenever I feel it makes sense.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is how I do it. It's like back in the day going to Blockbuster and renting a game for $5-10. Only you get to play the game for a month, don't have to leave your house, and also get access to the wider library of 200+ games on Game Pass for the month. It's pretty great. Also no late fees.
 
Tygre

Tygre

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,163
Chesire, UK
Trying to do anything with my Game Pass subscription just gets me:

bfc5030aeeb50324a332b3caad094a3f.png


So that's great.
 
dtcm83

dtcm83

Member
Oct 28, 2017
533
Okay I want to do this but am lost on the instructions like a few other posters mentioned. Would someone be willing to lay it out in more descriptive steps, or a video or something?

Edit: I recognize OP did lay out some instructions, but I'm not very familiar with the service and what sounds like a different tier with ultimate. My bad for being somewhat out of the loop on this subject!
 
Inno2d

Inno2d

Member
Mar 14, 2018
64
Worked for me. You get the extend option in the Xbox gamepass app not in the tab that opens in your browser. So after you've cancelled the recurring payment in the browser tab go back to the administration settings in the app to see the extend option.
 
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